Secrets in the Lattice (2021)

Um bom drama adolescente.

Assim como o título, esse é um bom drama adolescente, mas não é o MELHOR drama adolescente que já vi.
Confesso que só assisti porque estava entediada, e assim que descobri que o protagonista era o Chen Zheyuan, fiquei curiosa, pois conheci ele em Hidden Love, um dos meus dramas preferidos.
No geral, o drama segue a fórmula de dramas desse tipo: menino e menina se encontram na escola, não se dão bem a princípio mas por conta da convivência acabam se apaixonando. Nenhum romance acontece de fato entre eles até a idade adulta (o que também já é de praxe em dramas escolares chineses). A química dos protagonistas é boa, mas você demora um pouco pra se habituar à personalidade da Ding Xian. Ambos os protagonistas tem suas próprias situações familiares, fazendo com que o drama também trate de questões como amadurecimento, escolhas e frustrações. Há sim um grupo de amigos principal (mais uma vez, típico do gênero), mas não senti um apego muito forte por eles. Porém nenhum personagem é irritante ou cansativo de assistir, com exceção da mãe da Ding Xian que só abria a boca pra espalhar toxidade. Sério, eu sempre falo sobre como essa visão cultural de "amor duro" por parte dos pais me incomoda muito em dramas asiáticos. Isso porque pais que só causam traumas emocionais e psicológicos nos filhos acabam sempre tendo suas ações justificadas em nome do amor parental, que dificilmente é demonstrado de forma direta.

Sobre os protagonistas:
- Ding Xian: Ela é uma personagem tímida, mas competitiva e teimosa. Tem muita dificuldade de se ajustar na escola por ser introvertida. A única pessoa que ela de fato conhece é o Zhou Si Yue, já que seus pais são melhores amigos e eles são meio que "forçados" a conviver (até por serem colegas de mesa). É boa artista, mas ao chegar na cidade grande começa a perceber que não é tão boa aluna quanto pensava.
No geral, a Ding Xian é uma personagem agradável. Embora seja introvertida, se posiciona quando necessário e muitas vezes toma iniciativa. Uma coisa que frustrou muitas pessoas que assistiram, foi como ela não tinha nenhum objetivo futuro. Apesar de ser uma boa artista, todas as decisões que toma a respeito da carreira são focadas no Zhou Si Yue (ela entrou pra Ciências da Computação na universidade, apesar de não ter nenhum gosto pela área, só por causa dele). Esse é inclusive o maior motivo pelo qual Zhou Si Yue decide se afastar dela, já que estava abandonando seus gostos por ele. Mais pro fim do drama ela começa a ir atrás de sua carreira artística, mas foi bem frustrante ver essa falta de perspectiva no início.
- Zhou Si Yue: Ele é o garoto popular da escola. Bom nos estudos e nos esportes, mas não é insensível e grosseiro. Desde o início demonstra desejo de ajudar a Ding Xian, nunca deixando ela na mão. O maior segredo dele era ter sido apaixonado por ela desde o ensino médio. O problema é que em nenhum momento foi possível de esconder isso, já que o jeito que ele olhava pra ela deixava claro como se sentia. Ele tem um sonho de trabalhar com robótica, e de fato passa a exercer isso. Sempre resolve os problemas de todo mundo mas não gosta de ser vulnerável.
Esse drama me lembra muito Time and Him are Just Right, que tem uma história com segmento muito parecido, inclusive a ordem dos eventos. Digo isso porque em determinado momento, ao se preparar para a prova de admissão da universidade em que ambos os protagonistas haviam prometido entrar juntos, a Ding Xian não passa, levando o Zhou Si Yue a seguir sozinho. Isso gera um afastamento entre eles. Especialmente por parte do Zhou Si Yue, que acredita ser um atraso na vida da Ding Xian, apesar de ser claramente apaixonado por ela. Esse é justamente o fator que me causou maior incômodo na história. A diferença é que em Time and Him are Just Right a protagonista se torna extremamente irritante e infantil, o que não é o caso aqui.
Depois que a Ding Xian entra na universidade escolhida (esforço que ela fez por conta do Zhou Si Yue), ele passa muito tempo afastando e rejeitando todos os esforços de aproximação entre os dois. Eles ficam nessa situação por vários episódios. Depois, quando o Zhou Si Yue se arrepende, ela que passa a rejeitá-lo, gerando ainda mais frustração. Essa dinâmica tira muito tempo de tela deles como casal (sério, o drama tem 24 episódios e eles só ficam juntos de fato lá pelo episódio 21). Além disso, esse chove-não-molha vira o foco principal atrasando os outros conflitos. Por isso, lá pelos dois últimos episódios, esses conflitos começam a ser jogados na história (o protagonista quase sendo preso, a saúde do pai dele, etc) e resolvidos de maneira muito fácil. Essas escolhas fizeram com que a carga dramática fosse perdido, fazendo com a gente sentisse que estavam ali só para cumprir tabela.
No geral, o drama é bom. Não é ótimo, mas é bom.

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A Story worth re-watching, again and again.

The plot was soo sweet, and realistic enough. The characters were good and the actors did a great job playing them. At first glance, it'd just seem like an ordinary typical cringe puppy love drama, but, if you take a moment and start watching, you'd be surprised. It shows the importance of those little ordinary things in our daily lives. Just like Zhou Siyue said, "At first all things would seem ordinary and insignificant, but, later everything will fall into place, little by little, and then will you understand the actual significance of those insignificant things." The series portrayed the lives of teenagers and adults too. What they go through, how they overcome it, and what they become after going through those things. How small things that can't even be spoken, and actions that are not even worth taking, turn out to be something that matters more than anything. A Series that portrays the true value of romantic and platonic love, filled with family, friendship, youth, adolescence, and more. A lesson well learned, to such an extent, that I don't think I'll ever be able to move on from. Could relate to everything the characters went through and thought about. It gave me hope, the Idea of these little things, that are not so little. If you're planning to watch it, don't delay it anymore!

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From deskmates to soulmates <3

As someone who loves fluffy dramas, this has climbed to my top drama list. Rarely a highschool drama can make you cry, but this drama is an exception. What makes you cry is the nostalgic feeling that this drama gives you. You watch the main leads and their friends grow from being a school student to university student.
The story begins as your typical main leads who bicker a lot with each other. Then soon they have good feelings towards each other. There are some misunderstandings and some small fights but it gets cleared very soon. Its not draggy.
Both the main leads are eye candy. They already behave like a married couple during their school years but they were still not dating. Its like everyone knows their dating except for themselves. This drama really made me question how the hell I spent my school years. This is such a feel good drama.
The chemistry is off the charts. They understand each other well, their family also do not object them, they have friends who are equally supportive. Siyeu is the man of dreams like literally, he is very humble, not cold, was never arrogant or dominant towards the FL. He even cried so many times in front of the FL. This was a refreshing thing that I enjoyed.
The FL is sweet and although she was making the ML her priority most of the times, she eventually realized how to separate her personal and professional life. They both loved each other since the beginning. No second leads, no other 3rd character that can break them or no other things that could separate them.
I really recommend this drama and you'll definitely feel emotional at the end since it is quite nostalgic how you watched them grow from teenagers to adults.

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A good drama to change the mood

I watched it for Chen Zhe Yuan, and here are my thoughts:
-A typical high school drama, the FL's character was a bit annoying but it was bearable, I liked her character's growth.
-The side character are lovely. The SL couple's chemistry is the best. My fav was "Auntie"
-I liked how they treated some problems that might seem trivial but are important.
-The chemistry was a bit lacking from the FL's part but it was okay (the effect of hidden love is still working) .
-There are many boring parts as well but they can be skipped.
Overall, it wasn't as good as expected but it was a quite fun and lighthearted drama.
I might've missed something but those are my thoughts after the last episode

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the best cdrama ever

omg omg omg this is one of the best cdrama ever, the writer did a good job and kudos to the actor and actress too. i had a hard time finding a drama to watch and ended up watching it based on the good review everyone gave it. IT IS REALLY GOOD FO WATCH IT !!!!


it has the childhood to high school to college till marriage concept really nice



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Our Secret is a type of youth drama that would bring you down memory lane. It emits a nostalgic feeling if you have left school because of the realistic portrayal of a student’s life. High school and campus romances tend to be a bore because of the repetitive storylines. But this one is a rare exception because the way the story is told will draw you in to follow the couple’s progress and growing up pains. There is no exaggeration to take away the seemingly ordinary life of the protagonists. This is what gives the drama a healthy dose of realism.

In short, if you like youth dramas, this should be one of the better ones to watch. There are no cheesy cliches like those found in My Unicorn Girl. Neither does it weigh you down with plenty of melodrama like in Go Ahead. There are sad moments but nothing so dramatic that an ordinary high school student is unable to overcome. The couple is cute and this is what most viewers would be looking for in a youth drama like this one.

Simple But Realistic Plot
I think many people would be able to relate to the main characters in Our Secret. They are teenagers and hence, you will find issues like quarrels with parents, bickering with sibling, making friends, exam pressures, course choices, and of course, first love being part and parcel of the drama. Except for the relationship between the leads, the rest of the issues are not explored in depth but naturally weaved into the story to provide viewers with a more comprehensive understanding of their lives. They also help to build the characters’ development as the story progresses.

With only 24 episodes, the drama doesn’t get bogged down with unnecessary details and long-winded subplots of all the issues mentioned above. Hence, the story is easy to follow. It is akin to the daily life of a high school student who develops feelings for the boy sitting next to her and vice-versa.

Great Acting
I think both the leads did a great job in portraying their characters. Chen Zhe Yuan seems like a natural fit as Si Yue with his smirks and air of indifference. Si Yue’s character is not cold and arrogant but neither is he friendly and warm. He is somewhere in between. Chen Zhe Yuan manages to give Si Yue this balance so that he appears just like the typical boy next door.

Rainbow Xu is not an experienced actress but she is still able to make Ding Xian looks timid and introverted as required. She captures the essence of the character with the way she speaks and her mannerisms. Thus, both of them provide viewers with very realistic characters with the way they depict their roles. Their chemistry as a high school couple is evident in the drama. There is no skinship given that they are students then but their interactions are sweet and cute to give off a feeling of an innocent romance.

Well-Written Characters
Our Secret is different from some other idol dramas like Love 020 which has unrealistically perfect characters. Ding Xian is like your typical teenager who is anxious in a new school and has to learn how to make friends. She is weak in Maths and doesn’t know how to refuse others. Si Yue is brainy and confident of his abilities but still has his moments of self-doubt.

The characters are written in a way that matches real life with their flaws. Yet, they do not end up being annoying. Instead, they easily entice viewers to root for them. There is also room for growth as they mature to become adults. In short, the main characters are not one-dimensional but have depth to their personalities.

My Verdict – Engaging For The Young
I think it is clear that Our Secret will easily resonate with the younger viewers especially those who are still studying or have just left school. This is simply because the story is very typical of what a teenager would face in real life. However, for the older viewers, this might be a tad draggy. Their high school life spans 15 episodes which means if you don’t enjoy high school romances, this would not be as engaging. It is different from Forever Love which has a much shorter school life arc and a more matured couple.

On top of that, I find a few episodes in the later part of the drama to be unnecessary. The obsession of the female lead to be with the male lead and his hesitance towards a relationship with her are unnecessary. This is where it falters to me when it has been going rather well for the most part. The second arc doesn’t have the same depth as the first and has a quicker pace. The screenwriter tries to incorporate more issues in their university life which I just don’t think add much value to the plot.

I would give a score of 7.5/10 for this Our Secret review. The start will immediately make you curious about the couple’s story. The girl expresses her feelings right at the beginning but got rejected. The story is then told as a flashback for 15 episodes. So, watch it if you don’t mind stepping into a teenage girl’s world and the experience of developing feelings for the boy next door. But skip it if you are looking for a more matured romance because the slow-moving school life will bore you.

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to be young and in love ??

i never knew that i'll love high school story like i used to, but this drama bring back those feeling and i looooove it. it remind me to K-drama : playfull kiss (?) but in a very different way. while in playfull kiss the ml is kinda jerk at the beginning, in here the ml is kind and caring and just Playfull. never knew this kind of simple highschool romance were perfectly portrayed in such beautiful way without losing its purpose to tell that in high school we just felt love at the first time, those awkward and fluttering moments, the friendships and the trouble we went through as a teenager the confusion abt the future. so so beautiful, kudos to the actors and the staff i really hard a good time watching this 💛🥰

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Secret love/Hidden Love troupe

I have great appreciation for the ML in this series. He capturesd the emotions so well and played his character with precision. Fortunately I watched him on "Hidden love" which was also an excellent portrayal. Acting as a high schooler and adult with maturity and character development can be challenging and he was able to do so, effortlessly. Looking forward to more series from him. The story was on par, the ost was pleasant, the FL has a beautiful voice and the supporting actors didnt have me cringing on their jokes. Im new to Chinese series Im glad they are enjoyable.

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What an Amazing Cast!

Growing up is a Journey. A journey of happiness, sadness, struggle, insecurity. But its memorable. I think Youth is the Most memorable era of human's life. That urge to outshine but then be depressed & ask myself what the hell am i doin, being angry at parents to nag at us all time because im grown enough, the urge to be independent & the urge to be close to that lil crush we possess for "that" person. Sometimes the feelings turns out to be just an infatuation or sometimes the feelings becomes deeper & deeper as we grows up more.

This drama just perfectly depicts the whole feeling of the youth. The flavour of youth. It made me feel so many things. The love the friendship the journey the issues we deal as teen everything was perfectly showed in this drama. & yes obviously one thing this drama has The Male lead. The eye candy hardworking humble understanding handsome very rare to find in real life. But of course he is a person with flaws as well because nobody is perfect in this life. I would like to add the Male lead's Acting is damn good. His eyes are very expressive. He knows how to give expression not just put a stone face. I cant imagine anyone else as "Zhou siyue" except him. Now here comes to female lead. One of the best literally. Not cringe, no over acting. So natural. The side characters are very very interesting as well. Perfect Cast in a word. The OSTs are so freakinh amazing as well. Many scenes are rewatchable as well. Overall one of the best youth dramas This year.

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